Automatic stay-release.



No. 812,18?.- I PATENTBD P21113, 1906.

L. P. CHUTE.

AUTOMATIC STAY RELEASE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY zo, 1905.

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PATENTED FEB. 13, 1906.

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- L. P. CHUTE.

' AUTOMATIC STAY EBEE-ASE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY Z0, 1906.

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LOUIS P. CHUTE, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

AUTOMATIC STAY-RELEASE.

Specification of Letters Patent,

Patented Feb. 13, 1906.

Application filed July 20. 1905. Serial No. 270,446.

T0 @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, Louis P. CHUTE, of Minneapolis, Hennepin county,Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAutomatic Stay-Releases, of which the following is a speciiication.

The obj ect of my invention is to avoid the labor and delay in releasinga stay or guy rope, and particularly the backstay of a sailboat, and thedanger arising from such delay through the ordinary means for securingthe stay to the deck of a boat.

The invention consists generally in automatically releasing a stay whenpressure is applied laterally thereto.

Further, the invention consists in providing means for instantly andautomatically releasing a sail-boat backstay when it is struck by theboom, as in jibing.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure1 is a perspective view of a sail-boat having backstays with myinvention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a detail edge view of abackstay-securing means. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of thesecuring means. Fi 4 is a detail sectional view of the rotary Iockingdevice with the rope removed. Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line x:c of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view showing a modiiiedconstruction. Fig. 7 is a sectional view on the line z .e of Fig. 6.Fig. 8 illustrates still another modification. Fig. 9 is a sectionalview on the line y y of Fig. 8.

In the drawings, Zrepresents' a sail-boat 3, the mast; 4, the boom and 5the backstays, which connect the upper portion of the mast with the deckof the boat. Two backstays are employed, one on each side of the boat,but only one is used at a time, and which one depends upon the positionof the boom. It has been customary to secure the backstay by passing itthrough or around a cleat or ring in the deck; but such securing meanshas been found to be objectionable, owing to the difficulty of releasingthe stay quickly and the danger of having it securely fastened when theboom swings around against it, as in jibing. To avoid the necessity ofsecuring the backstay in the ordinary Way, I provide a casing or housing6, preferably of cast metal, having a suitable base 6 secured to thedeck of the boat in any suitable way. Within the housing I provide anoscillating frame 7, journaled on a pin 8 at a point intermediate to itsends in the upper part of said housing. A wheel 9 is mounted near thelower end of said frame and is provided on each or either side withratchet-teeth 10 and intermediate teeth 11, which are lower and nearerthe axis of the wheel than the said ratcheteteeth. Fixed teeth 12 and 13are provided in the Walls of the housing and arranged to coperate withthe teeth 10 and 11, the ratchet-teeth on the wheel being normally inengagement with the corresponding teeth on the housing when the deviceis in use. A sheave 14 is mounted in the u per end of said frame, and apulley-block 15, laving a pulley 16, is attached at one end to thebackstay 5, which extends to the upper portion of the mast, and at itsother end the block 15 is connected to a rope 18, which passes downunder the sheave 14, thence up over the pulley 16 and down between thewheel 9 and the wall of the housing, the teeth 11 and 13 being arrangedto cooperate with one another and grip the rope between them and hold itfirmly against accidental slipping.

The pivot 8, as shown in Fig. 3, is out of line With the direction ofStrain on the frame from the stay 5, and consequently the lower end ofsaid frame will be swung by the strain of the stay toward the toothedwall of the housing, and the rope inserted between said wall and thewheel 9 will be held securely as long as there is any strain on thestay. The use of the sheave and pulleyin connection with the rope 18reduces very materially the strain on the rope where it passes betweenthe toothed wheel and the wall of the housing, and this pull or straincan be further lessened by the addition of other sheaves and pulleys, ifnecessary. In tightening the stay the sailor Will pull on the rope 18until the desired degree of tension on the stay is obtained, and whenthis has been done the engagement of the toothed Wheel with the rope 18will secure it until the stay 5 is struck by the boom. At that time theforce or momentum of the boom will bend the stay and swing the frame 7on its pivot and move the toothed wheel away from the wall of thehousing, whereupon the 4Wheel will be allowed to revolve and the rope 18will be released, and the stay will instantly and automatically becomeloose or slack. A stop 19 is preferably provided in the bottom of thehousing to engage the oscillating frame and limit movement of the same.

In Fig. 6 I have shown a slight modiiication of the device, whichconsists in providing a dog 20 in the lower portion of the frame IOO IIO

and held in engagement with the ratchetteeth 10 by a spring 21 andarranged to be tripped by a fixed stop 22 in the bottom of the housing.In other respects this modiiication corresponds to the form of deviceirst described.

In Figs. 8 and 9 I have shown another modification, which consists inproviding a wheel 23 with the ratchet-teeth omitted and provided with aseries of blunt rounded teeth 24, which cooperate with similar teeth 25in the wall of the housing. The rope when inserted between the w-heeland the housing will assume the serpentine form shown in Fig. 8 and begripped or pinched between the teeth of the wheel and those on thehousing and be held securely until such time as the frame supporting thewheel is oscillated by the engagement of the boom with the stay. Themanner of putting the stay under tension with this modification is thesame as described with reference to the form Vof device shown in Figs. 2and 3. /Vith this attachment the backstay can be easily and quicklytightened preparatory to sailing and will be held securely until suchtime as the boom swings around and strikes the stay, and then when it isusually necessary to laboriously disengage the stay from a cleat or ringthis attachment will automatically and instantly release it.

While designed primarily for use on a sailboat, Vthe device may beutilized Wherever it is desired to provide an automatic andinstantaneous release for a stay or guy rope or wire.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination, with a mast and stay, ofmeans for automatically releasing said stay when pressure is appliedlaterally thereon, substantially as described.

2. In a sail-boat, the combination, with the mast and boom,- of abackstay, and means inserted into said stay and adapted toautomaticallyrelease the same when the stay is struck by said boom,substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a sail-boat deck and mast and the boom, of abackstay, a housing, a frame pivoted therein, a toothed wheel mounted insaid Jframe, a rope" connected with said stay and normally held betweensaid wheel and said housing and adapted to be released when said frameis oscillated, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with a sail-boat deck and mast, of a backstay, ahousing, an oscillating frame mounted therein, a wheel carried by saidframe and provided with a series of ratchet-teeth on each side and lowerintermediate teeth, the wall of said housing being provided with teethto engage' with said ratchet-teeth and coperatingwith the teeth betweenthem, and a rope carried by said Jframe and connected with said stay andpassing between the wall of said housing, and the intermediate teeth onsaid wheel and the pivot of said frame on said housing being out of linewith the axis oi said wheel and said stay, substantially as described.

5. The combinat1on,w1th a mast and back-u stay, a housing, anoscillating frame mounted therein, a wheel carried by said frame, a ropeconnected with said stay and arranged to pass between said wheel and thewall of said housing and be gripped and held thereby, and the pivot ofsaid frame being out of line with the axis of said stay, substantiallyas described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 15th day of July,1905.

LOUIS P. CHUTE.

Witnesses:

RICHARD PAUL, C. MACNAMARA.

